Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The Crazies: The Sequel

Some of you may remember a previous story about The Crazies (again, not the movie) involving some maniacs, cable issues and a telephone pole. If not, you should read it... it's quite entertaining, really.

I have a new story for you all! This occurred last weekend.

We have tons of trees on our property, so needless to say, we also have even more leaves falling all over the place. We have a small side yard next to our long, winding driveway, where we rake the leaves and bag them. The front yard, to the left of the driveway, is where my stepfather, Lee, just uses his ride-on lawnmower to crush the leaves into a zillion tiny pieces rather than having to pick them up. The Crazies have many times before accused us of purposely putting things on their oh-so-precious property, whether it be leaves, cable workers, or ourselves.

My mom was using the leaf blower to push all the leaves onto the middle of the lawn, so Lee could crush them. On the left side of the yard, where the two property lines meet, my neighbors and us have our own fences separating us. If you've never used a leaf blower to get leaves away from a fence and in the opposite direction, it's a little difficult. You need to go from the side and try to get behind them and it can be pretty annoying.

So my mom is by the fence doing her thing, when she thinks she hears a knocking on the fence. Which had to be pretty damn hard and loud knocking for her to hear it over the noise of the blower. She turned off the blower, to which "Amy" started yelling, "Turn off that blower! Stop that blowing!" Why? I have no damn idea. I would have ignored her and continued, but my mom saw it fit to respond with a certain profanity before continuing.

Lee was also outside, and he started hysterically laughing, so "Aaron" must have said something to him as well, but my mom didn't hear what it was. She continued with the leaf blower, moving down the fence toward the driveway.

Once at the bottom of the driveway, blowing the leaves onto our own yard, Amy ran down to the bottom of the driveway where ours connects, and began taking pictures of my mom using the leaf blower. WTF?! My mom said to her, "Oh please, when have I ever purposely put anything on your driveway?" Of course Amy doesn't listen to anything and continued snapping away, so my mom yelled, "Take a picture of this!" and gave her the finger. She did indeed, take a picture of that too. So my mom then purposely blew some leaves on their driveway and walked away.

I really shouldn't be surprised anymore.


Also submitted for lovelinks!

lovelinks

17 comments:

  1. Well your mom sure is a feisty leaf blower!
    Where are the photos?! I would have loved to see them!

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  2. That's right, pictures pictures :-)

    www.mamaandthecity.com

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  3. If you mean the pictures of my mom that Amy took, we can't get those.

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  4. I'm trying to imagine what someone must be thinking who is knocking on a fence, to the other side where they can't see, but can only hear, their neighbor using a leaf blower. YIKES.

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  5. Your mother is my favourite person on the internet today.

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  6. amorninggrouch - I know right! You should read the other story, hahaha. I can't even remember most of the others.

    paulyb - Why, thank you lol. Normally, she is a nice person, but she's really had it with these nutjobs!

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  7. LOL... love other people's wacko neighbor stories...lord knows I have my fair share :P

    your mom is one tuff chick :)

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  8. You know when the finger comes out it's serious! LOL. Why is it that everyone has a crazy neighbor story???

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  9. STFU! OMG this was awesome! I would have paid $$ to see this go down! You're mom is AWESOME!!

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  10. Ah! So your mom knows sign language too!!! ;) Your neighbor sounds like a pip.

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  11. Laura - nothing beats the finger!

    Lori - I'll ask my mom for past stories, I'm sure there are tons I don't even know about! And I'm also sure that there will be more to come!

    Mommy2c - Unfortunately I didn't see it either, but these encounters would make one heck of a show!

    Christine - You should read the first story...

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  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    Replies
    1. We are all entitled to our opinions. However, your entire comment accuses me of being hypocritical, biased, and making assumptions about people that I don't know are true. Yet, your comment is all about assumptions about myself and my family.

      This post is "a tad bit hypocritical and maybe intellectually dishonest?" Intellectually dishonest? Did I lie? Well, you wouldn't know, but you assumed I did or that I somehow stretched the truth about OUR encounter, of to which you had no witness. Hypocritical how? Did I say someone shouldn't do something and then do the exact same thing I preached against? Did I somehow call someone out on making assumptions while reading their story and then continue to make assumptions myself about that person's character? Oh wait, that was you.

      "Is it AT ALL POSSIBLE that the neighbor was trying to get her stop using the leaf blower for another reason then the one your mother, you, and the readers have just assumed it was for?" Did you actually read the post or just skim it to make accusations? If you had read it, you would see that I specifically wrote I had no idea WHY she was yelling to turn off the blower. "There are several reason for her request that might come to mind, but it sounds like your mother just assumed that it was because she was worried about something getting blown into her yard." Really, what other reasons come to mind? Enlighten me. Also, if you actually read the post, you would have seen the sentence, 'The Crazies have many times before accused us of purposely putting things on their oh-so-precious property, whether it be leaves, cable workers, or ourselves.' So yes, this has in fact, happened before. Many, many times. No assumptions needed.

      "I don't agree with the way you say your neighbor was doing that because that's just as discourteous..." You can disagree with what I say all you want, but it doesn't make this story any less true. Because it is, in fact, the truth. Are you calling me a liar? Or are you calling the person who reiterated this story to me -- my mother -- a liar? "There are two sides to every story." Yes, you are right, and I would LOVE to hear what goes on in those minds to even attempt to understand their insanity. "...your mother was rude to her instead of listening." Listening to what? The screaming commands to stop blowing leaves? That's all there was to listen to.

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    2. "I don't know your neighbor and I'm not trying to defend her." I feel confident in saying that anyone who reads your post would believe that you are. Oh no, am I making assumptions again? "But that's all one sided assumptions just from reading your little story." At the very beginning of this post, which if you read you would have seen that I conveniently provided a link to a previous post of mine about these very same neighbors, which you either carelessly missed or simply chose to ignore. Had you read that previous post, you would realize that we have dealt with these people's antics before and this is not a one-time basis situation. In fact, we have lived in this same house for over 15 years, with the same neighbors living adjacent to us. But, my mistake, I clearly should have explained that background before I continued with the story as to not cause confusion and unnecessary assumptions.
      "I just hope I can make you see that this is kind of a rude and biased interpretation of the situation that happened that day." It is not "interpretation." It is, in fact, what happened that day. Calling it "rude and biased" and not funny is your opinion, which again, you are entitled to, but so are other the other readers and myself. And this is mine.

      "It's kind of like someone having a heart attack or getting stabbed on a busy street corner and not one person stopping to help them." I'm sorry, how exactly does my story about crazy neighbors relate to someone needing medical assistance? "I'm guessing you might think that your 'amusing' story was nothing compared to a situation so dire as I am posing, but it's the little things like this that start that kind of attitude and build up to ignoring people in pain or need of help." Oh snap, you guessed right. Are you saying that because I wrote a factual story about my neighbors and the "biased" way I represented them means that if I passed a person on the street in need of vital medical care, I would simply ignore that person and let him or her die? Or that if my neighbors themselves were stabbed and bleeding to death before my eyes, I would walk away and let it happen? Wow, such an awful opinion of me you have after reading one post of a recounted neighbor story. Isn't that just a little accusatory and assuming yourself?

      "Unfortunately, these types of things are happening more and more often because people are becoming more self-centered. They want everything handed to them without having to work for it and they no longer care if it hurts someone else in the process." Oh, I guess I am lazy and don't want to work for my earnings and simply want a hand-out, and all because of this post. Wow, for someone who feels so strongly about not being presumptuous and hypocritical, your'e doing a great job of projecting that image yourself.

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    3. "What disturbs me most of all is that you are in a position in life that you could have a great deal of influence on other people and you choose to judge people by outward appearances or actions without getting more details to make a proper judgment call." I'm sorry, but have we met? I wasn't aware that you knew me as a person. Oh, you don't? That's right. You're making judgments based on the appearance of one short story you read on the internet without getting more details about the person who wrote it. "I worry that you'd allow this type of one-sided thinking to abuse that power." My, my, the assumptions we make and the bold things we can say behind a computer screen.

      "I'm almost sure you'll end up deleting this reply... However, for all I know you could just keep it either to reflect on it or just to belittle my response..." Oh, how well you know me! My character cannot fool you, O' Mighty Judgey VonHolierThanThou. I will either delete your reply, or keep it. What wonders will never cease! The options! Decisions to be made! "...even though I'm making some valid points." Opinions, opinions... "However, I really do hope that this at least makes you think more about a situation you might be in and look at it from both sides instead of being so close-minded to other aspects of it." Oh, my goodness, you're so right. I believe I've just had an epiphany! Whenever I am recalling a story I know in fact to be true, instead of recounting the true details, I shall instead wonder "What would hope4uyet do?" and realize I must make snap judgments and assumptions of my own!

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  13. Kind of where I figured you go.

    It's not worth the argument or belittling to me. I have better things to do then listen to someone who's saying I'm judgmental because I ask them to look at both sides of a picture.

    Just to let you know, I did bother to read your other post. I also agreed and said that it is possible that the neighbor could be a whack job. Unfortunately you chose to pick apart what I was saying and twist it to suite your needs that you're right. A lot of what I've read on here is very one-sided and in the instances I've read I've seen that there could be another side to the argument. But your right. You certainly have a lot of opinions.

    Just as much as anyone out there. Doesn't mean that everyone agrees with them though. The only point I was trying to make was that maybe you should try to see both sides of the argument.

    The only place I see this whole situation going is more bad blood between neighbors and somebody winding up in court. Who the hell knows?

    Certainly not me.

    Have a nice life in your own little one sided world.

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  14. I would like to let the readers of this blog know that I agree with everything that Kerry has said about her neighbors. I do not know what their situation is but I have experienced first hand myself that they are very rude and not respectful. First of all, I am a very nice person and always have been. I treat other people the way I would like to be treated. I am very understanding and I always put myself in other people’s shoes. I try to understand why they make decisions they make.

    I have been told throughout my places of work that I am the nicest worker they have ever met. My first job I was invited to dinner by an older couple, Phil and Evelyn, because they knew I was the nicest cashier. They did not want to go on anybody else’s line if I was in the store.

    I have been going to Kerry’s house for 2 years now my first encounter with “The Crazies” confused me. Kerry did not bring up the problems that they have had with the neighbors for years. As I pulled up to the cul-de-sac, I parked my car on the curb. I never pull up the driveway because I do not want to be an inconvenience when someone has to leave.

    The woman neighbor was in her driveway looking towards my car in a way that she was spying on somebody around a corner. She was leaning over around one of her trees to see who was parking by her house, even though my car is directly in front of Kerry’s property. When I got out of my car I saw that she was looking towards me. Since I did not know who she was, I showed some respect by smiling and I said “Hi, How are you?” No reply. She simply just stared back at me with the same look of resentment. I thought to myself, “Maybe she does not speak English.” So I continued to walk up Kerry’s driveway.

    This is the same woman that Kerry has said that she yelled to turn off Kerry’s mother’s leaf blower. She knows how to speak English. She just chose not to speak to me that day. I did not hold any grudges for that day.

    When I explained to Kerry and her mother about the neighbor, they told me that it is a common reoccurrence. They had told me their side of the story of how “The Crazies” have been repeatedly yelling over the fence at them to stay off their property and threatening to sue for every little thing.

    I agree that many people in the world have their issues with neighbors for many different things. I grew up in a town where my father was friendly with EVERYONE. Everyone helped each other out for different things. One neighbor used to baby sit me when I was younger. My father also shoveled a few of my neighbor’s driveways when it snowed. I have always felt the need to help neighbors if they needed help.

    After Hurricane Irene hit Long Island, Kerry’s house and block was hit pretty bad. Kerry’s mother and step-father took time to help other neighbors with downed trees in their yards. There was a really big tree that fell down blocking the cul-de-sac from anybody leaving or coming in which everyone on the block helped to move branches and logs, meanwhile, “The Crazies” were nowhere to be seen.

    One section of the fence separating Kerry’s property and “The Crazies” was damaged when a tree fell down on it. I was picking up branches around the area of the broken fence when the female neighbor, again, poked her head through the fence opening. I now knew about all of the stories between the two neighbors, but I am still a nice guy and I repeated “Hi, how are you.” Still no reply. I finally came to agreement that these neighbors are truly crazy.

    To this day I still ignore “The Crazies” if I see them outside of Kerry’s house. I am able to avoid any arguments with them because I do not have to deal with them every time I am over her house, and I feel bad for Kerry’s family since they have to deal with such crazy neighbors.

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